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California businessman indicted on lobbying charges has counted Trump among his 'closest friends'
CNN
The illegal foreign lobbying charges brought against Tom Barrack on Tuesday punctuate a winding business and political career defined by his unique staying power in former President Donald Trump's constantly shifting orbit of advisers.
A Southern California businessman and a former chairman of Trump's inaugural committee, Barrack is charged in a seven-count indictment with acting as an agent of the United Arab Emirates between April 2016 and April 2018. He is also charged with obstruction of justice and making false statements to federal law enforcement agents. A spokesperson for Barrack has said he will plead not guilty to the charges. A judge ordered him detained following an initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon.
The retired Air Force general announced as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by President Donald Trump after the abrupt Friday night firing of his predecessor is a respected career F-16 pilot who is described by current and former officials who served with him as a professional with a “strong moral center.”
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Over the past 10 days, Vice President JD Vance put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on notice, rattled the confidence of century-old allies in Western Europe during his first foreign trip, decamped to Capitol Hill to help in delicate budget talks and delivered a spirited defense of the Trump administration’s first month to a gathering of conservatives outside the nation’s capital.